When nominations for the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards were announced Dec. 2 by The Recording Academy, the list included a Sunshine State surprise: Francesca Battistelli. The singer/songwriter received a nomination in the Best Gospel Performance category for the track "Free To Be Me" off her debut album My Paper Heart.

The surprise? Just four years prior, Battistelli was among the six unsigned-act finalists who performed at The Recording Academy Florida Chapter's 2005 Florida GRAMMY Showcase, an event she describes as a turning point in her career.

"What a journey it has been from that performance four years ago to today," says Battistelli. "My hope is to encourage other young musicians to take part in events such as the GRAMMY Showcase to gain feedback and live performance opportunities in the industry. I am amazed and thankful for this incredible experience, and it is a privilege to be recognized by The Recording Academy in this way."

"Francesca's success is a testament to her hard work and also shows the career boost that artists can receive from entering GRAMMY Showcase events," says Chapter Senior Executive Director Neil Crilly. "It's really great to see her talent recognized again at another level through our GRAMMY Awards process."

Battistelli was chosen as a Florida GRAMMY Showcase finalist by top music industry professionals from more than 230 entries submitted by Florida- and Puerto Rico-based artists. At the 2005 event the Florida Chapter donated 50 percent of the net proceeds to the MusiCares Hurricane Relief Fund, which provided direct assistance to those in the music community affected by that season's devastating hurricanes.

As a Florida native, Battistelli began her career at age 13 when she co-starred in the musical "The Bengal Tiger's Ball" and recorded the original cast album with GRAMMY-nominated artist Maureen McGovern. At age 15 she was the featured performer in the pop/R&B trio Bella, with which she appeared on programs such as "Ed McMahon's Next Big Star" and the "Miss Teen USA" pageant.

Inspired by artists from the jazz legends she was introduced to as a child to contemporaries such as Sara Bareilles, John Mayer and fellow contemporary Christian artist Nichole Nordeman, Battistelli set out to write personal reflections on life and faith for the tracks on My Paper Heart, which reached No. 4 on Billboard's Christian Albums chart. Prior to the release of My Paper Heart, Battistelli released an independent album in 2004, Just A Breath, and an EP in early 2008, I'm Letting Go. The singer/songwriter recently concluded a tour with Christian songwriter/guitarist Brandon Heath and GRAMMY-nominated Christian alternative group Leeland and is scheduled to continue touring in March.

The sixth edition of the Florida GRAMMY Showcase will take place on April 13 in Orlando, Fla., and six finalists will again be awarded the opportunity to perform live on opening night of the Florida Music Festival & Conference 2010 in Orlando. For more information, click here.

The 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards will take place live on Sunday, Jan. 31 at Staples Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in HDTV and 5.1 Surround Sound at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) on CBS.

Florida GRAMMY Showcase Winner Revealed

On April 21 The Recording Academy Florida Chapter presented the 2010 Florida GRAMMY Showcase at Lyrica in Orlando, Fla., providing six up-and-coming unsigned artists from the Florida and Puerto Rico area with the opportunity to compete before an audience of music industry professionals for a $25,000 artist development prize package. Miami-based reggae/rock band Jahfe won the showcase, and rock/pop artist Derek Olds was selected as runner-up.

Jahfe has worked with GRAMMY-winning artists including Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean. As a Memphis native currently residing in Miami, Olds has shared his live production talent with GRAMMY-winning artists including John Legend, Maroon 5 and GRAMMY-nominated artist Snoop Dogg.

The other finalists were the Black Rabbits, Dreaming In Stereo, Select Start, and Venejer. Each of the finalists shared the artist development prize package including engineering services provided by Eric Schilling, GRAMMY- and Latin GRAMMY-winning engineer/mixer; studio time at the Hit Factory Criteria in Miami; a professional photo session with Miami-based photographer Jill Kahn; a consultation with Michel Vega, vice president, William Morris Endeavor Entertainment; a consultation with Nick Nanton, entertainment attorney; and studio time at Morrisound Recording in Tampa, Fla., with services provided by producer/engineer Tom Morris.

You've seen the list of nominees, now take a closer look at the artists nominated in the Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Field for the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards.

With gospel/contemporary Christian music primarily defined by its lyrical content not its musical style, this is a rare non-General Field to reflect genre diversity. This year's nominees skew decidedly pop, with many artists looking to score their first taste of GRAMMY gold. The field also includes some veterans, including five-time GRAMMY winner Steven Curtis Chapman, who won his first GRAMMY in 1991, and seven-time winner Andraé Crouch, a gospel legend who won his first GRAMMY in 1975.

Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Performance

Steven Curtis Chapman received his 16th career GRAMMY nomination for the feel-good, up-tempo "Do Everything." He won his most recent GRAMMY in 2004 for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album for All Things New. Natalie Grant's performance of "Alive (Mary Magdalene)," a track from the multi-artist project Music Inspired By The Story, earned the pop vocalist her first GRAMMY nomination. It's made all the sweeter because the song was co-written and co-produced by her husband, Bernie Herms. Brandon Heath hit a trifecta this year in scoring three nominations. He's represented here for his performance on "Your Love" from Leaving Eden. Le'Andria Johnson, winner of season three of BET's singing competition show, "Sunday Best," received her first career GRAMMY nomination for "Jesus." "I Lift My Hands" rounds out the category, marking modern worship leader Chris Tomlin's fifth career GRAMMY nomination.

Best Gospel Song

This songwriter-based category features some of the genre's most decorated artists. Known for blending gospel and contemporary flavors, Kirk Franklin has seven GRAMMY Awards already to his name. This nomination comes for the title track of his 2011 studio album Hello Fear. Sisters Erica and Tina Campbell, who perform as the pop/gospel duo Mary Mary, won in this category in 2009 for "God In Me." This year they are nominated with co-writers Gerald and Tammi Haddon for "Sitting With Me," a song from Something Big. Veteran producer/songwriter/performer Donald Lawrence won a Best Traditional Gospel Album GRAMMY in 2007 as the producer for the Clark Sisters' Live — One Last Time. This year he's nominated as a songwriter for "Spiritual" from his release YRM: Your Righteous Mind. Gospel legend Richard Smallwood received his first GRAMMY nomination in 1988. This year's nod for "Trust Me," from Richard Smallwood & Vision's Promises, marks his eighth career nomination. Canton Jones is the lone hip-hop artist nominated in this category. "Window," a song from his 2011 double-album Dominionaire, represents his first career GRAMMY nomination.

Best Contemporary Christian Music Song

As a songwriter, Laura Story was best known for writing hits for artists such as fellow nominee Tomlin. She broke through on her own in 2011 with her first GRAMMY nomination for "Blessings," her first Billboard Hot Christian Songs No. 1 hit. Jamie Grace also notched her first GRAMMY nomination for the effervescent "Hold Me." She co-wrote the song with Toby McKeehan (aka Tobymac), who has won four Best Rock Gospel Album GRAMMYs as a member of dc Talk, and mixer/engineer/producer Christopher Stevens. Tomlin serves as worship leader at Louie Giglio's Passion City Church in Atlanta. Tomlin, Giglio and fellow worship leader/songwriter Matt Maher are nominated for "I Lift My Hands," which appeared on Tomlin's 2010 album And If Our God Is For Us... . Matthew West received his first GRAMMY nomination for Best Gospel Song in 2009 for "The Motions." This year he's nominated for "Strong Enough," a song inspired by the real-life story of a young woman's near-fatal car accident. Songwriting partners Heath and Jason Ingram were previously nominated for Best Gospel Song in 2008 for "Give Me Your Eyes." Their songwriting success continues this year with "Your Love," Heath's No. 1 hit from Leaving Eden.

Best Gospel Album

After suffering a heart attack in 2009, Kim Burrell returned to the scene 100 pounds lighter and with a new appreciation for life. Her GRAMMY-nominated The Love Album explores love in all its forms. The legendary Andraé Crouch is nominated for The Journey, his first album in six years. The album includes collaborations with Chaka Khan, Sheila E., fellow nominee Burrell, and Take 6. Kirk Franklin's 1993 debut Kirk Franklin & The Family became the first debut gospel album to attain platinum status. Hello Fear is his first album since 2007's The Fight Of My Life, and his first since 2002's The Rebirth Of Kirk Franklin to debut in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200. Sister duo Mary Mary have three GRAMMY Awards to their credit, including the Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album award for their 2000 debut album, Thankful. The sisters are nominated this year for Something Big, their fifth studio album. R&B girl group Trin-I-Tee 5:7 morphed from a trio to a duo this year before releasing their seventh studio album, Angel & Chanelle. This is their second career nomination, following a nod for Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album for T57 in 2008.

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album

Officially billed as a "musical collective," Gungor are comprised primarily of husband-and-wife duo Michael and Lisa Gungor. Gungor received their third career GRAMMY nomination for Ghosts Upon The Earth, counting nods last year for Best Rock Or Rap Gospel Album and the pair's nomination for Best Gospel Song. Leaving Eden, Heath's third album, saw the acoustic-oriented singer/songwriter head in a more polished pop direction. His nod in this category rounds out his three total GRAMMY nominations this year. Leeland, named for lead singer/guitarist Leeland Mooring, received their fourth career GRAMMY nomination for The Great Awakening. The band was previously nominated for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album in three of the last five years. Mandisa, a season five contestant on "American Idol," received nominations for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album in 2007 and 2009. Her third career GRAMMY nomination comes in the form of 2011's What If We Were Real. Newcomers Royal Tailor garnered their first career GRAMMY nomination for their debut, Black & White. The pop quartet draws on influences such as Maroon 5 and Jay Sean for a contemporary pop/hip-hop hybrid. Rounding out the category, Tomlin is nominated for And If Our God Is For Us..., which topped Billboard's Top Christian Albums chart.

Who will take home the awards in the Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Field? Tune in to the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards on Feb. 12, taking place at Staples Center in Los Angeles and airing live on CBS from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

The Gospel Countdown

The countdown to Music's Biggest Night is the time for which most musicians live. That period when things start to happen — increased record and concert ticket sales and more media presence — all because of two words that are affixed to that artist's project: GRAMMY nominee.

It's no secret that garnering a nomination can change lives, sometimes from gold to platinum. It's rarefied air, and surely something no artist takes for granted — having their name announced alongside a group of their peers and hoping to be selected among the elite in their genre.

And most artists wouldn't have it any other way.

This year the Gospel Field includes nominations in the following categories: Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Performance, Best Gospel Song, Best Contemporary Christian Music Song, Best Gospel Album, and Best Contemporary Christian Music Album.

This year will feature some incredible races in each category, starting with Best Gospel Song where GRAMMY winners Kirk Franklin ("Hello Fear"), Mary Mary ("Sitting With Me") and Donald Lawrence ("Spiritual"), along with Richard Smallwood ("Trust Me") and Canton Jones ("Window") will go head-to-head in one of two songwriting categories.

The other song category, which houses Best Contemporary Christian Music Song, features Laura Story ("Blessings"), Jamie Grace with Tobymac ("Hold Me"), Chris Tomlin ("I Lift My Hands"), Matthew West ("Strong Enough"), and Brandon Heath ("Your Love").

Tomlin and Heath are also nominated for Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Performance, along with Natalie Grant for "Alive (Mary Magdalene)," Le'Andria Johnson for "Jesus" and Steven Curtis Chapman for "Do Everything."

The nominees for Best Gospel Album include Kim Burrell (The Love Album), Andraé Crouch (The Journey), Franklin (Hello Fear), Mary Mary (Something Big), and Trin-I-Tee 5:7 (Angel & Chanelle Deluxe Edition), while the Best Contemporary Christian Music Album category is intense, featuring multiple nominees Tomlin and Heath, alongside Leeland, Mandisa, Gungor, and Royal Tailor.

With still a few weeks to go before the GRAMMYs take place on Feb. 12, 2012, two months to go, it's safe to say the races are close. They will all come down to the wire, making for an incredibly exciting GRAMMY night.

Who are some of your favorites to win? Were there any surprises regarding the nominees? Let us know your thoughts below.

Multi-Flavored Pop

It has been a massively successful year in pop with an extensive group of artists, producers and songwriters creating sounds that had music fans singing, dancing and tapping along across the globe.

Over the years, pop has become a very diverse melting pot that incorporates a myriad of different genres, styles and influences. What defines great pop, however, remains unchanged. Pop is marked by elements of classic songwriting, a catchy hook or a genuine sentiment that people everywhere can instantly relate to.

A good example of pop's diverse nature in 2010 is the Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals category. Beyoncé and Lady Gaga are recognized for their solid performance of "Telephone," as are Atlanta genre-buster B.o.B, Eminem and Paramore's Hayley Williams for "Airplanes, Part II." Also nominated are Katy Perry and Snoop Dogg ("California Gurls"), Elton John and Leon Russell ("If It Wasn't For Bad") and Herbie Hancock's phenomenal "Imagine," which includes Pink, India.Arie, Seal, Konono No. 1, Jeff Beck, and Oumou Sangare.

Arguably, females ruled the pop scene this year and the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance category is a proper reflection of that sentiment. Lady Gaga ("Bad Romance"), Katy Perry ("Teenage Dream"), Sara Bareilles ("King Of Anything"), and Norah Jones ("Chasing Pirates") are all up for the coveted GRAMMY statue. Beyoncé's life performance of "Halo" also received a nod. She won this same award last year for the studio version of "Halo."

The Best Male Pop Vocal Performance nominees span an iconic superstar and brand-new talent. A 13-time GRAMMY winner, Michael Jackson received a posthumous GRAMMY nomination for "This Is It," which was featured in his moving concert film Michael Jackson's This Is It. Also nominated are Bruno Mars ("Just The Way You Are"), who scored an impressive seven GRAMMY nods total; Canadian crooner Michael Bublé ("Haven't Met You Yet"); seven-time GRAMMY winner John Mayer ("Half Of My Heart"); and "American Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert, who received his first career nomination for "Whataya Want From Me."

The cast from Fox's hit television show "Glee" impacted the mainstream charts with a slew of covers this year. The cast's memorable remake of Journey's 1981 hit "Don't Stop Believin' (Regionals Version)" is one of the nominees in the Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or A Group With Vocals category. Also nominated are Maroon 5 ("Misery"), Paramore ("The Only Exception"), Sade ("Babyfather"), and Train, who ruled the radio airwaves with "Hey, Soul Sister (Live)."

The legendary Laurie Anderson, who first impacted the scene nearly 30 year ago with her debut album Big Science, is nominated for Best Pop Instrumental Performance for "Flow." Rounding out the group are five-time nominee Jeff Beck ("Nessun Dorma"), bassist Stanley Clarke ("No Mystery"), Gorillaz ("Orchestral Intro"), and the Brian Setzer Orchestra ("Sleepwalk").

Eight-time GRAMMY nominee Kirk Whalum picks up his fifth nomination in the Best Pop Instrumental Album category for his tribute to soul great Donny Hathaway, Everything Is Everything: The Music Of Donny Hathaway. Joining him are Gerald Albright (Pushing The Envelope), Larry Carlton and Tak Matsumoto (Take Your Pick), Kenny G (Heart And Soul), and Doors guitarist Robby Krieger (Singularity).

In the Best Pop Vocal Album category Susan Boyle (I Dreamed A Dream), Lady Gaga (The Fame Monster), John Mayer (Battle Studies), Katy Perry (Teenage Dream), and fresh-faced Canadian newcomer Justin Bieber (My World 2.0) will battle it out.

Tune in to the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards live from Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. For updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy's social networks on Twitter and Facebook.

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